[pct-l] permits

[herbstroh at charter.net]

Bob--

Your original post raised the issue of whether its bad hanging practices or
smart bears. My take is that the bears are indeed, that good.

On multiple occasions (pre-bear cannister) I have come upon backpackers in
the Yosemite area who were picked clean. Like you, I thought the problem
was probably a bad hang. But in conversing with one of the couples, they
described a proper hanging technique good height, etc. The bears simply
bounced on the branch until it broke. They yelling all manners of
obscenities at them during the theft, but the bears went about their
business undeterred. Clearly they were very experienced. A different hiker
who lost his food said a bear climbed on the hanging branch and started
batting the hang line like he was playing a guitar. Eventually that will
bring down any hang, no matter how good. At that level of intelligence, the
traditional hang is useless.

I recently received a trip report from acquaintances hiking the JMT this
summer. They were apparently unaware of the cannister rule, and used a
rat-sack tied to a tree. The bears found it and mauled the sack and trees
for nearly two hours before getting the goodies. They did not try to scare
them off, but then who wants to interrupt a bear during a mauling?
 
A good buddy was car-camping in the Meadows and, failing to heed warnings,
left some food in his car. That night the bear started to break in to his
car. He challenged the bear, who responded with a bluff charge. Bear wins
again. 

Unfortunately, canisters are the way of the future. I think the best we can
hope for is technology that lightens the canisters.

Herb
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Bob Sartini r.sartini at rcn.com
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 13:15:41 -0500
To: dsaufley at sprynet.com, robert at engravingpros.com, pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] permits


When you say the Rangers make exceptions for thruhikers does that mean 
bearcans are optional for thruhikers? I still don't have an idea if bear 
cans  are just a "rule" or we REALLY need a bear cams. I get a lot of 
"follow the rules" type answers and I'll be a good dubie and get one but do 
I NEED one. If I'm a first class food hanger is that REALLY not good
enough. 
Are Sierra bears exposed to more clueless people than the Shendoah or the 
Smokies? That would be a new level of cluelessness  I think.
"EVERYTHING is in walking distance,"
    ......Bamboo Bob
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna "L-Rod" Saufley" <dsaufley at sprynet.com>
To: "Robert W. Freed" <robert at engravingpros.com>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] permits


> Hmmm, I think that needs to be qualified a bit.  You don't need a Whitney 
> sticker if you're accessing from the JMT's approach out of Crabtree.  You 
> DO have to have a permit if you're staying overnight pretty much anywhere 
> in the Sierras, or accessing the range through most side trails (ie., 
> Cottonwood Pass, Kearsarge, etc.) and some of those areas have quotas.
>
> Access to Whitney from the eastern Portal side is the ONLY place I've
seen 
> a ranger on the trail actively checking for permits and bear cans.  I've 
> heard that they make exceptions for PCT thru-hikers, but that's not 
> something I would want to leave to chance.  If a resupply in Lone Pine 
> using the Whitney Portal Trail is planned, it might not be a bad idea to 
> get the Whitney sticker.
>
> L-Rod
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: "Robert W. Freed" <robert at engravingpros.com>
>>Sent: Nov 28, 2008 9:58 AM
>>To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>>Subject: [pct-l] permits
>>
>> In 2007 the park rangers at the inter agency ranger station in Lone Pine 
>> said you only need a Whitney permit if you are entering or exiting via 
>> Whitney Portal. If you are just making a Whitney detour from Crabtree 
>> Meadows "no permit required". I suggest that you resupply via Onion 
>> Valley. Who wants to carry a pee bag for the next hundred miles any way.
>>
>>Robert
>>_______________________________________________
>>Pct-l mailing list
>>Pct-l at backcountry.net
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>
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